HUMANS OF HAVANA

The idea for Humans of Havana was simple. We wanted to create a photoblog featuring street portraits and interviews based on the eponymous Humans of New York (HONY), curated by Brandon Stanton. The HOH project is the Cuba Journal’s foray into a new genre of photoblogging or street photography as another way to tell Cuba’s story.

Everyone has a story. And in Cuba’s case, a whole country has as story to tell that is like no other. The coming years will reveal a lot of visuals and narratives awaiting connection with a broader audience. We want to chronicle the “change generation.” The site is not political. It’s simply about Cubans, their lives unadorned by props.

The site’s format follows Brandon’s HONY almost exactly. Candid images combine with short text narratives that add a little bit of context. Subjects reveal a little about themselves, which reveals a little about the city – and perhaps, collectively, a little about humanity. The site and Facebook page will be edited for politics or attacks on the subjects.

What can you find on Humans of Havana? We’re trying to capture the narrative of the Cuban people as they transition from a closed society to an open one. Our Cuban photographer has been given minimal instruction beyond capturing a true sense of what ordinary Cubans are doing and saying on the street. Hopefully, the collection of images and stories will allow site visitors to step into the shoes of a typical Cuban and catch a glimpse of an experience that may be different from their own and also learn something about how connected we are despite our differences.